I was happy to see in the Journal Review that our mayor, Todd Barton, a Republican, distributed more than $1.7 million to a number of local non-profits, including the Boys & Girls Club, the Youth Services Bureau, the Montgomery 4-H Fairgrounds, the Childcare Coalition, and other vital local organizations. That money came from the American Rescue Plan Act. Our senator, Todd Young, voted against this bill. Young says that he cares about Hoosiers, but his vote says otherwise.
I was also shocked to learn that military veteran Young also voted against the PACT act, which expanded veterans’ health care and benefits, for this and future generations. This bill was passed 86-11 in the senate; Republicans and Democrats alike supported it. However, Young voted to deny his fellow veterans the benefits they earned with their service.
So I am asking my neighbors in Montgomery County to not re-elect Young, but to consider voting for Tom McDermott, the Mayor of Hammond. McDermott is the longest serving mayor in the state, with 19 years of service, who has been re-elected numerous times because he treats all of the citizens of his city equally, regardless of background or party affiliation. He is not an ideologue; he is a problem solver.
I heard McDermott speak the other night, and he is passionate about helping his constituents. If you want to see him for yourself you can watch him debate Young on Oct. 16 from 7-8 p.m. on WFYI TV and streaming outlets. This will be their only debate because Young has refused McDermott’s request to debate him in all nine congressional districts in the state. How can we know where our candidates stand and how well they can argue for their views without debates?
Let’s not just automatically vote for a party. Let’s vote for the most qualified, responsive and honest candidate for the job.
Warren Rosenberg
Crawfordsville
